<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KsppGGseBow" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> scheduled for 3:43 CST <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Launch of <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX">@SpaceX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dragon?src=hash">#Dragon</a> cargo ship to <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station">@Space_Station</a> set for 4:43pm ET. Weather is 90% GO: <a href="https://t.co/EGRrLlohza">https://t.co/EGRrLlohza</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZEjUk1tX7m">pic.twitter.com/ZEjUk1tX7m</a></p>— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/718496661484527621">April 8, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
SpaceX broadcast: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7pUAydjne5M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Huge step towards cutting down cost of space flight by 100 fold. SpaceX may be the most disruptive company on earth.
This is incredibly cool, but and a HUGE step, but I think we need to understand how many times a rocket like this can be re-used before we understand the true cost savings. Still, wow, what an accomplishment!
The Merlin engines have been tested to be able to fire thousands of times. The key is cost of refurbishment for the rest of the rocket. But before any of that, you need to be able to land the thing first which is the hardest part! So a huge step forward, even if we're not quite there yet.
I'm more interested in a large network of near-earth satellites providing uncensorable internet access than I am about exploration or the worthless ISS.
Colonizing Mars is the grand headliner goal of SpaceX. But in reality, their path to accomplishing that is by massively cutting down the costs of space travel. Currently they are already the lowest cost rocket in the industry, undercutting the Chinese, and 60% cheaper than their competition in the US(ULA). This before they've even developed reusable rockets - which is the holy grail of cheaper space travel. If SpaceX is going to come anywhere close to accomplishing their stated mission, along the way they will enable a whole slew of other unrelated space applications made possible by the lowered cost of space travel. Internet satellites is among that(Google invested $1B in SpaceX to develop it).
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS">@POTUS</a> Thanks on behalf of an amazing team at SpaceX!</p>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/718580558180261888">April 8, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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why doesn't Bezos get any attention? done this several times <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YU3J-jKb75g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
One reason is they release stuff after the fact vs building up hype and letting people watch live. SpaceX\Telsa have a great PR machine as well. 2nd is Spacex is doing this after achieving orbit which takes significantly more effort than suboribital. That said, let's be careful claiming victory here. Remember the costs aren't really the hunks of metal that go up, but the design, test, certification, etc. People saying claiming 100 fold but I don't think even SpaceX expects that. “I’d like to see a 30 percent reduction probably from reuse,” Shotwell said. “That would be great.” What both are doing are great to see unfold. We should cheer all space projects
